Eshin Godfrey (Zen Centre of Vancouver), Bethan Lloyd (Waves and Water Sangha), Jeanie Seward Magee (Mindfulness Practice Community of Vancouver), Jerry Chapman (Vancouver Shambhala), Dayasiddhi and Upakarin (Triratna).
Photos by: George Draffan.

Teachers from the Zen, Tibetan, and Theravada traditions gathered in Vancouver, British Columbia last month, in the latest of the ongoing teachers meetings sponsored by Northwest Dharma Association.

Rev. Sukha, Briah Ruhe, Upakarin, Eshin Godfrey, Jerry Chapman, Lama Tsewang, George Draffan, Bethan Lloyd, and Dayasiddhi.

Priorities identified for discussion and action included practical issues ranging from teaching in a rural setting, setting up websites and social media and using video to reach a wider audience, and managing the legal and financial challenges of nonprofit organizations.

The group also focused on ways to engage with other Buddhists to build our collective capacity to address real-life suffering. The group discussed addiction recovery, depression and other mental illnesses, re-entry from prison, and the realities of old age, illness, and death.

NWDA President Tim Tapping and Executive Director George Draffan, who helped facilitate the discussions, thanked the day’s host, Eshin Godfrey, of the newly-remodeled Zen Centre of Vancouver.

If your Buddhist group would like to host or attend a meeting in your area, please email George Draffan at george@northwestdharma.org.